Method for use in the manufacture of turned shoes



Dec. 3, 1929. V H. NEWMANN 1,737,727

METHOD FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE 0F TURNED SHOES Filed July 29, 1927 Patented Dec. 3, 1929 HERMAN NEWMANN, .OF BB'QOKLYLL'NEW CHINE-RY CORPORATION, 0F .PATERSON .JERSEY YORK. ASSIGNOR yro currar simu Me- NEW JERSEY, .A soronerrou y0F :NEW

METHOD .FOR USE ,IN MANUFACTURE A0F TUBNED .SHOES Application tiled July 29, 1927. Serial No. 209,298.

T his invention relates to methods for use in the manufacture of shoes, and particularly to methods for use in the making of turned shoes.

In the manufacture of that type of turned shoe known as a sewed seat turn, the upper, wrong` side out, is sewed to the sole a'llthe way round. The sole i-s usually provided with a shoulder channeled about its entire periphery; that is, the margin ot the flesh face of the sole 'is r-abbeted to forma lleather and -a shoulder, the shoulder is usually perpendicular to the plane of the sole and the feat-'her is at righ-t angles to it. About the shank and heel end ot the sole, it a close edge eilect is desired, the angle between the feather and the shoulder may be obtuse, the feather 1oeing then inclined outwardly and toward the grain tace of the sole. A slit or channel is out in the flesh face of the sole to receivethe stitches, the channel being spaced from the sho-ulder to provide between-'substance for the lstitches and inclined outwardly and toward the grain face of the sole with the bottom of the channel preferably located a distance equal to the diameter of the needle below the lower edge ot the shoulder. The prepared sole is placed upon the bottom of the vfirst'lastwith the channel side exposed, and the upper, placed 'wrong side out upon the first last, is lasted over the sole and lheld there temporarily by a few lasting` tacks driven through the lining` and -upper and into 'the between-substance. About the forepart and the part of the shank forward of the counter, the upper and lining bridge the rabb'et and in the subsequent sewvingoperation are drawn into theY rabbet lby .stitches against the feather and shoulder. 'This o-peration at the shan-k and forepart is comparatively simple since the lining Aand upper are lexible enough to be forced bythe stitches fully into the rabbet. 'The shoe is yheld against a channel guide located lin the channel and tipped Aabout the channel guide yas a fulcrum so that the needle will emerge at the lower edge of the shoulder, and the formation of a groove in the lining as the upper is drawn into the .angle between the shoulder and feather indicates to the operator whether or not the shoe is being properly held.

About the heel end, however, the conditions are ditterent since at this portion of the shoe the upper includes a counter which is usually a straight counter, that is, one which has no'flange formed upon it. lThe counter is usually ot sole leather and has the margin which is next to the soledskived to a thin edge. Thecounter, of course, at the time the shoe is sewed is in temper. "The lin-ing at the 'heel end of the `shoe is turned back, exposing the counter. The counter and upper bridge the rabbet about :the heel end -of the shoe just as the lining and upper do at other parts ot the shoe, 'fbut since the counter, even 1n its tempered condition, is relatively stiff and unyieldin-g, it is ditlioult for the turn sewing machine operator so to position the shoe thatthe sewing line Where the stitches are eX- posed on the face of the counter will be so located that the counter with the upper will b e drawn into the rabbet. This is particularly difficult if the angle V'loetweent'he shoulder and feat'heris obtuse, so that no Very definite angle will be formed in the counter when the shoe 'is being properly held. It the operator tips the shoe on lthe channel guide toomuc'h upwardly, he sews too high; that is, the needle -emerges too far 11p 011l the shoulder so that the full strength of .the 'betweensubstance lis not utilized to hold vthe stitches and Vwhen the shoe is turned there-will be a space between thc upper and the leather. lfhe tips the shoe too far downwardly, he sews too low, with the result that the needle emerges through the feather, or even :through the edge V-ace of the sole, with the result-that --whenturned the heel end of the vshoe is ill shaped and can be reformed to the second last only "by an excessive amount `of hard work, Vifv at all. Under these conditions the shoe is frequently so held to the machine that -the'needle sewsl too high or too low, with consequent detriment to the resulting product,

With a view to overcoming these difficulties, the present invention, "in one of its aspects, provides a method which consists in 'shaping the counter to the first last and pressing the upper and counter into 'the rabbet to provide a well-delined sewing line about the rear end of the shoe to facilitate the sewing operation and to enable the seam to be sewn with precision along the line where it should be located and neither' toc high nor too low. To this end, as herein illustrated, a heel-cmbracing band is utilized to shape the upper to the first last and, while the upper is so held, end-embracing wipers are utilized to force the upper and counter into the rabbet to form a groove or line about the heel end of the shoe to guide the operator in the sewing operation. With the heel end of the shoe thus prepared, the operator can tell whether or not the needle is emerging at the line formed on the outer surtaceof the counter and, if not, can tip the shoe to correct the sewing since the emergence of the needle on the inner side or' the line will indicate that he is sewing too high, and its emergence on the outer side of the line will indicate that he is sewing too low.

After a shoe of the type referred to is trimmed and turned, the loose lining about the heel end is smoothed down inside the l shoe into Contact with the counter and sole,

and a shank piece, which in shape is substanvtially a counterpart of the shank and heel portion of the sole, is inserted, a shank stiffener being usually secured to the under face of the shank piece. The shoe is then relasted upon the second last which is for the opposite foot from that of the first last. In the turning operation the shape of the counter imparted to it 4by the first last is reversed. However, when the counter has been shaped to therfirst last, as above described,

and creased to form a sewing line, there is just the correct amount of' material in the rear end of the shoe to receive the rear end of the second last, and the crease along the sewing line materially assists'in reshaping the counter to the shape of the second last since it insures that it will bend at the sewing line and not elsewhere. As a result,the second last can be inserted more easily and the shoe fits the last much better than it would if'the preliminary shaping and crease forming operations were omitted. The upper must now be reshaped into conformity with the second last and the heel end of the sole beaten down to Hatten the peripheral portion of the upper where it is turned inwardly about the heel seat. This operation is usually performed by means of a hand hammer and is a tedious and expensive operation requiring patience and skill. The counter portion is hammered by blows properly directed to set all parts of the counter against the last, and the heel end portion of the sole is hammered to flatten as well as possible the inturned portion ot the upper, which, being covered by the margin or feather of the sole, cannot be `engaged directly by the hammer. This hammering of the sole deflect-s the feather'ot` the sole toward the upper and, in order to prepare the shoe for the next Operation, that ot Yheel-seat fitting if a wood heel is to be applied, the margin of' the sole has to be raised by the introduction of a dull, blade-like instrument, called a bone and usually made of that substance, into the crease between the feather and the upper to raise the feather so that the wipers of the heel-seat fitting machine can be introduced into the crease.

l/Vith a'view to obviating or substantially reducing this hand work of shaping the upper to the last, evening the inturned portion of the upper, and opening the crease, as wel] as to provide'fo'r obtaining the desired resuits more quickly, more effectively and more accurately, the present invention, in another aspect, comprises applying shaping pressure to all parts of the heel end portion of the upper and counter to conform them to the last, opening all portions of the crease, and applying pressure heightwise of the last tov the turned-in portions of the upper. Preferably and as illustrated, all portions of the parts operated upon in each of these three Operations are treated simultaneously. To this end also, as illustrated, an end-embracing band is utilized for conforming all portions of the heel end of the upper and counter to the last simultaneously, and end-embracing wipers are utilized to open at once all portions of the crease between the sole and upper about the heel end and to apply pressure heightwise of the shoe directly to all parts of the inturned portion of the upper about the heel end.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a sectional View of the rear end portion of a last showing the upper and counter of a turn shoe lasted over the sole;

Fig. 1a is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing an inclined feather on the sole; Y

Fig. 2 is a sectional and perspective view showing the shoe of Fig. 1 after it has vbeen ltreated to provide a sewing line on the counter;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 1 showing the shoe after the upper and counter have beensewed to the sole;

Fig. l is a sectional view of the rear portion of a turn shoe after it has been turned and relasted; Y

Fig. 5 is a perspective view, partly in section, showing the shoe, after it has been turned, being treated by suitable apparatus to reshape it to the last, open the crease, and flatten the inturned upper;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of parts shown in Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary detail, in sect-ion and perspective, showing the shoe after treatment by the apparatus shown in Fig. 5. a

In the drawings, Fig. 1 shows a counter 10. and an upper 12 lasted over a last 14 upon a sole 16 having a channel`18, the upper being held by a tack 20 driven into the between-substance ofV the sole, and a lining 22 being turned back out .of the way. The .Inar-y gin of the sole 16 is rabbeted to form a feather 24 and a shoulder 26. The shoulder 26 is perpendicular to the plane of the sole, 'and the feather 24, as illustrated in Fig. 1, is at right angles to it. The feather, however, may, as illustrated in Fig. la, be inclined downwardly and outwardly, as is the practice in the manufacture vof some types of turn shoes. It will be noted that either .case

. the upper does not hug the last and that the upper and counter bridge the space .between the feather 24 and the shoulder l26. It will be apparent that if the shoe were sewed with the parts referred to in Athe relation shown in Figs. l and la, the tension of the stitches would not produce a sharp angle in lthe counterand that there would be a relatively wide region through which the needle might emerge without its being obvious to the operator that he was `not holding the -shoe properl Fri-g. 2 represents the shoe -a-fter treatment in accordance with the present invention to ,form a definite sewing line clearly apparent to the operator. This may be accomplished with -the aid of the apparatus shown in Fig. 5, which comprises a last support 28, an end-embracing band 3() and end-embracing wipers 32. Treatment of the lasted shoe by this apparatus gives the resul-t indicated in Fig. 2. The closing of the .band 30 about the rea-r end of the last insures that the upper will be in contact with `the 'last at all points. lVith the upper thus held against displaceinent, the wipers 32 are closed toy .press the counter against the feather and shoulder lof the sole and form a crease or line 34 F ig. 2) which is located along the line where the needle should yemerge when the shoe is prop erly held. The shoe is next sewed' to attach the upper to the sole all the way round by -a seam 35, the lining bein-g -sewed in with the upper about the forepart and shank to the eues of the counter wings Vand the counter but not the lining being sewed in with the upper about the rear end, the line or crease 34 formed on the counter by the wiper enabling the operator accurately to locate the seam on the counter so that the counter and upper will be drawn against and properly held to the feather and shoulder of the-sole.

If the operator tips the shoe -onthe channel guide, which of course engages the shoe-in the channel 18, too much upwardly, he will sew vtoo high; that is, the needle will emerge above and inside the line 34. If he tips the shoe too far downwardly, he will sew too low with the result that the needle will emerge `outside the line 34. By .the provision of the line 34 to indicate where the needle should 4emerge through the counter, the operai-tor can readily-by utilizing the line., so hold the shoe that the needle will emerge substatnially at 4the line and he `will sew neither too high nor too low. By this method the inaccurate location ofthe seam `i'requently resulting from the use of prior methods, with `consequent detriment to the resulting product, as hereinbefore indicated, is avoided and a substan-.- o tial improvement in the quality of the work is produced.

After the shoe has been sewed, the first last 14 is removed and the shoe turned and the lining 22 Tis .smoothed down inside the` r shoe and pasted to fthe counter, its lower margin lying against the inner face of the sole. A shank piece 3G is inserted and the shoe relasted on a second last 38,. The shoe is now subjected :again to treatment by theo apparatus shown in F ig. 5. The end-en'ibracf ing `band 30 is closed to force vall parts of the rear portions of the upper l:and counter sini-ultaneously against the 'last and shape it to the last. Theend-embracing wipers 32 are, ,85 then closed, causing 'them ,to enter the crease .between the vfeather 24 .and the inwardly :turned portion of the lupper l2. By this action the crease about the reareend of the shoe will be opened ready .to receive the wipers ef` the heel-seat lasting machine. Finally pressure is applied to the closed wipers 32 heightwise 4of the last, for example, 'by .upward movement of the support 28, fto flatten the inwardly turned portion of the upper and t.

counter, with the result shown in Figs. t3 and 7 whereit will [be seen that all portions lof :the int.urned upper about the reariendof the shoe lave been rlattened :and brought Iinto a single plane so that when the :sole has been iheelfico seat fit-ted, bytriinming away the feather and the margin of the lheelec-at portion the sole on the dotted line t0 of Fig. 7 the upper is exposed and, being a plane, is adapted to receive the riin of a weed theel, gall parts of which are in thesame plane.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to secure 'by Letters Patent of the United States i,

l. That in-ip-roveinent .in niethods of mal:- ifng turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in providing a sole having a shoulder and feather about the heel end thereof.sl\'ap ing the upper wrong vside out lto conform vrsnug-ly to the shape of the rear end of ;a last, ,135 forcing the margin of the upper :over the feather of the soleto ydefine a line adjacent to the shoulder along which the seani attach.- ing the kupper to the sole is Vto extend, sewing the upper to the sole about the heel-seat por'- fano -tion along Said line, removing :the last, turning the shoe., relasti'ng -theishoe, in shape ing the upper snugly to the rear portion of the last byk pressure applied to all parts of the counter portion of the upper sim-ul.- taneously, raising the A,teather ofthe `Sole about the @heel-seat to open the cre-ase between ythe upper andthe sole, and vflattening the peripheral Vportion of the upper that entends over the heel-seat portion of the shoe.

2. That improvementin methods of making turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in shaping an upper and counter wrong side out to coliform snugly to the shape of the rear end portion of a first last and forcing its margin over the margin of a sole about the periphery of the heel-seat to define a line on which the seam attaching the upper to the sole is to extend, sewing the upper to the sole along said line, removing the last, turning the shoe, relasting the shoe, thereafter shaping the upper snugly to the end portion of the second last by pressure applied to all parts of the counter portion of the upper simultaneously, raising the margin of the sole about the heel-seat to open the crease between the upper and the sole, and flattenin the portion of the upper that extends over the periphery of the heel-seat portion of the last.

3. That improvement in methods of inaking turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in shaping an upper wrong side out to conform snugly to the shape of the rear end of a last, simultaneously wiping in all portions of the margin of the upper at the end and sides of the heel-seat over theV feather of a sole by use of Wiper plates having curved edges to define a line on which the seam attaching the upper to the sole is to extend, sewing the upper and counter to the heel-seat portion of the sole, removing the last, turning the shoe, relasting the shoe, shaping the upper and counter snugly to the rear end portion of the last by pressure applied at various parts of the counter portion of the upper simultaneously, and opening the crease between the upper and the feather of the sole by insertion of a curved wiper plate, and simultaneously flattening the portions of the upper and counter that extend over the periphery of the heelseat portion of the last. j

4l. That improvement in methods of malring turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in providing a sole having a shoulder and a feather about the heel end, shaping the upper wrong side out to conform snugly to the rear end of a last, forcing the margin of the upper over the feather of the sole to define a line adjacent to the shoulder along which the seam attaching the upper to the sole is lto extend, and sewing the upper to the sole about the heel-seat portion vwhile utilizing said line to determine the proper location of the seam.

5. Thatimprovement in methods of malring turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in shaping an upper and counter wrong side out to conform snugly to the shape of the rear end portion of a rst last, forcing its margin inwardly over the periphery of the heel-seat of the sole to define a line on which the seam attaching the upper to the sole is to extend, and sewing the upper to the sole along said line. Y

6. That improvement in methods of malring turn shoes having sewed seats which consists in providing a sole having a feather and shoulder about the heel-seat portion thereof, placing wrong side out upon a last the sole and an upper having a counter, shaping the upper and counter to conform snugly to the rear end of the last, wiping the margin of the upper over the feather of the sole by use of a plate having a plane surface and a curved edge to define a line on which the seam attaching the upper and counter to the sole is to extend, and sewing the upper and counter to the heel-seat portion of the sole while utilizing the said line to indicate the proper location of the seam where it emerges on the surface of the counter.

7. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in sewing the upper and counter to a sole about the heel-seat, turning the upper, relasting and shaping the upper and counter into intimate contact with the last about the rear end of the last, and attening the turned-in portion of the upper and counter to bring all parts thereof into the same plane.

8. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in sewing the counter and upper wrong side out to the periphery of the heel-seat portion of the sole, removing the last, turning the upper and counter, inserting a shank piece, relasting the shoe, conforming under pressure all portions of the counter and the upper in the region of the counter to the shape of the rear portion of the last, and, while maintaining such pressure, applying pressure heightwise of the last directly to all portions ofthe upper and counter extending over the heelseat to dispose all parts of the heel-engaging portions of the surface thereof in the same plane.

9. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in subjecting all portions of the counter portion of an upper after relasting to simultaneous pressure and while maintaining such pressure separating the margin of the sole `from the upper and subjecting the inwardly disposed portions of the upper and counter about the nperiphery of the heel-seat to pressure heightwise of the last by use of a plate having a plane surface to engage the upper and a curved surface to enter the crease between the upper and the margin of the sole.

10. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in sewing an upper to a sole about the heel-seat portion thereof, turning the upper, relasting the shoe` shaping the upper into intimate contact with a last about the rear e'nd portion thereof, and subjecting the turned-in portions of the upper and counter to pressure applied simultaneously at all points about the periphery of the heel-seat to dispose the outer surface of the turned-in in a plane to receive the wood heel.

l1. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in sewing an upper to a sole about the heel-seat portion thereof, turning the upper, relasting the shoe, pressing all portions of the upper about the rear end portion of the last simultaneously into contact with the last by use of a flexible end-embracing element, and fiattening` the turned-in portions of the upper and counter by pressure applied heightwise of the last by use of heel-embracing wipers.

12. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in sewing a counter and an upper wrong side out to the periphery of the heel-seat portion of a sole, removing the last, turning the upper and counter, inserting a shank piece, relasting the shoe, conforming under pressure all portions of the counter and the upper in the region of the counter to the shape of the rear portion of the last, and, while maintaining such pressure, applying pressure heightwise of the last to the peripheral portion of the upper and counter to set it in position to receive the corresponding surface of a wood heel and form a tight joint between the heel and upper.

13. That improvement in methods of making sewed seat turn shoes which consists in subjecting` all portions of the counter portion of an upper after relasting to simultaneous pressure, and, while maintaining such pressure, separating the feather of the sole from the upper and subjecting the inwardly disposed portions of the upper and counter about the periphery of the heel-seat to pressure heightwise of the last.

In testimony whereof I have name to this specification.

HERMAN NEWMANN.

portion of the upper peripheral rim of a signed my CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,737, 727. Granted December 3, 1929, to

HERMAN NEWMANN.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent yrequiring correction as follows: Page l, line 89, for the word "hard" read hand; page 2, lines 78 and 79, for the misspelled word "resuits" read results; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with these corrections therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of December, A. D. 1930.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

